The Dreamstone - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Dreamstone is a British animated television series that ran for 4 series of 13 episodes each between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp

Michael Jupp

Michael Jupp is an English cartoonist, designer and illustrator.Jupp studied at the West Sussex College of Art and Design at Worthing, West Sussex gaining qualifications in Art and Animation, plus diplomas in Art and Advertising Design. Jupp started his career in London working for E.F...

. The series was animated by the FilmFair

FilmFair

FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced stop motion children's television series and animated cartoons from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s...

animation studio (famous for producing The Wombles
The Wombles
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968...

) as a Central

Central Independent Television

Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...

production for ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

. In 1996 Filmfair was bought from the Caspian Group by the Canadian company Cinar

Çinar

Çınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey and also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....

, now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment

Cookie Jar Entertainment

The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...

. This resulted in Cookie Jar's ownership of the first two series, while a company called Dreamstone Productions Ltd. retain the ownership of the third and fourth series.

The Dreamstone is set in an alternative world

Parallel universe (fiction)

A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

called the 'Sleeping World,' and concerns itself principally with the struggle between good (personified by The Dream Maker, a Gandalf

Gandalf

Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...

-esque white magician), and evil (personified by Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares).

The Land of Dreams

The Land of Dreams is also known as the light side of the planet, and is peopled by Noops (who live and work like humans) and Wuts (the defenders of the land, who fly around on leaves and ward off Zordrak's evil forces with staffs that have orbs of light attached to them).

The Dream Maker (voiced by John Franklyn-Robbins
John Franklyn-Robbins
John Franklyn-Robbins was a British actor. He appeared in the film The Golden Compass. Appearing in television series and feature films, his credits included:*I, Claudius *The Merchant of Venice...

): Head of the Council of Dreammakers, also known as Lord Highest, he is responsible for mixing dream bubbles and sending them out to the sleeping world through the Dreamstone. He was responsible for ejecting Zordrak from the council, and the two have been mortal enemies ever since. The Dream Maker is quite a laid back character, though he can be quite fearsome when facing off against Zordrak and his henchmen.

Albert (voiced by Richard Tate): The Dream Maker's pet dogfish. The story goes that the Dream Maker saw Albert in a dream, and liked him so much he decided to make him real. Albert swims in air rather than water and his personality is that of a loyal dog. Albert later became the mascot/logo for Martin Gates' production company.

Rufus (voiced by Stuart Lock): A Noop who enjoys dreaming so much that he has vivid daydreams. Sadly because of his over-active imagination, Rufus has trouble holding a job. After being fired from the waxworks in the first episode, Amberley suggests Rufus applies to be the Dream Maker's assistant, as he is perfectly qualified for it because of his constant daydreaming. Though Rufus lets his mind wander sometimes, he is a brave character and believes strongly in the friends he has. Rufus is the main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...

of the series, and more often than not saves the day.

Amberley (voiced by Nancy Hendry): A female Noop who is Rufus's best friend. Amberley is the one who suggests that Rufus work for the Dream Maker. For a while she works at the baker's but it is later assumed that she, too, starts working for the Dream Maker. Amberley is quite a brave character although she does have a temper. She understands Rufus's daydreaming habit and tends to stick by him in most episodes. She was named after Amberley, West Sussex
Amberley, West Sussex
Amberley is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.Amberley is situated at the foot of the South Downs. Its neighbours are Storrington, West Chiltington and Arundel. The village is noted for its many thatched cottages...

, a village creator Michael Jupp
Michael Jupp
Michael Jupp is an English cartoonist, designer and illustrator.Jupp studied at the West Sussex College of Art and Design at Worthing, West Sussex gaining qualifications in Art and Animation, plus diplomas in Art and Advertising Design. Jupp started his career in London working for E.F...

used to visit regularly.

Pildit (voiced by Derek Wright): The leader of the Wuts and The Dream Maker's most trusted ally, he is often called upon to defend the Land of Dreams from Zordrak's forces. He and the Dream Maker are old friends and often help support each other. It is Pildit that teaches Rufus and Amberley how to use the special leaves the Wuts use to fly.

Wildit (voiced by Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke is a well known New Zealand entertainer, singer and comedian. She is best known for her judging role on New Zealand Idol in 2005.-Television:* Judge for the second season of NZ Idol * Showcase - 1997...

): Pildit's grandmother. Well-meaning, and as handy in a fight as her grandson. She has something of a crush on the Dream Maker. She is quite an eccentric character and tends to act younger than her years. Though when trouble comes she is just as good at planning as she is at having fun.

Spildit (voiced by Ellie Beaven
Ellie Beaven
Ellie Beaven is an English actress. She was educated at St. Mary's R.C. Primary School in Isleworth then at Gumley House Convent School, Isleworth.-Film & television:...

): Pildit's niece. A little female Wut who is prone to getting herself in trouble.

Mr. Blossom (voiced by Anthony Jackson
Anthony Jackson (actor)
Anthony Thomas Jackson was an English actor, who reached his widest audiences as founder of the eponymous ghost hiring agency in the long-running BBC children's comedy series Rentaghost. Jackson began his career with the Birmingham Repertory. He studied at Rose Bruford College and won the BBC...

): The Dream Maker's gardener, a wizened old Wut who constantly seems to have something to complain about.

Wottles: The Wottles look very similar to Wuts, only they are much smaller and have furry chests. Their job is to look after the Dream Bottle trees from underground to make sure they are healthy. Two Wottles who often join Rufus and Amberley in their adventures are called 'Hat' and 'Egg'.

Planet Dreamstone: The planet itself seems to be a sentient being, able to talk to other characters. It speaks with a gentle, female voice, and is also a figure of authority in the Council of Dreammakers. Being the source of power for all Dreamstones in the universe, the planet is very powerful, and actually fights with Zordrak in "Megattack".

The Land of Nightmares

The Land of Nightmares, also known as the dark side of the planet, is populated mostly by Urpneys, who basically resemble human beings except for the large bulbous nose and tails. They live in Viltheed, a tall black mountain in which resides Zordrak. Although all the Urpneys in Viltheed are male, female Urpneys do exist, as Urpgor has both an auntie and a niece.

Main article: List of Urpney Technology

Zordrak (voiced by Gary Martin
Gary Martin (actor)
Gary Martin is a British voice artist and actor who has been in the industry since the early 1980s. His first recorded acting credit is as a chauffeur in the television series Nobody's Perfect. He has since gone on to perform in over 60 roles, either as a voice artist or actor...

): The Lord of Nightmares and the principal antagonist of the series. He has a Welsh/Asian Dragon like look, characterised by a deep, demonic voice, he stands at least fifty feet high, and spends much of his time sitting on his throne dispensing punishment to wayward Urpneys. Zordrak was once a Dream Maker himself, in the form of a demonic Fox. He was ejected from the council for turning dreams into nightmares, and transformed himself into a monster, vowing vengeance. His fearsome appearance is a sharp contrast with the simple cartoon-like style of his Urpney henchmen. While not physically disabled, he very rarely moves from his throne, and can transform into a mist
Mist
Mist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the...

/apparition
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...

in order to leave Viltheed in which he only did in two episodes, 'The Knitted Balloon' and 'Spildit.' His goal is to dominate the Sleeping World, but was revealed in 'A Day Out' that he wanted to be Lord of the Universe. In Mike Jupp's original draft of the story, Zordrak was known as Nasta Shelfim, an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...

of 'Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

Himself', but this was changed because the producers felt it was too long and that it may offend religious people if they worked out the anagram.

Urpgor (voiced by Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....

(series 1)): The chief (and, it seems only) Urpney scientist. For reasons that are never explained, he has green skin, pink mohican-style hair and orange eyebrows. He habitually wears a white lab coat and three pairs of glasses on the end of his nose. In the fine tradition of cartoon scientists he is also completely mad and is often seen insanely bounding around, having fallen in love with his latest invention. Publicly hates the other Urpneys, and secretly covets Zordrak's throne. He is prone to make weird noises and expressions as he talks. On the whole his inventions always work but are often let down by their extreme Heath Robinson complexity and reliance on Urpney muscle power to operate them. Although he starts the series with a minor role, he appears in every single episode, with several episodes centred around the character.

Sergeant Blob (voiced by Richard Tate): The military leader of the Urpneys, who takes over Operation Dreamstone after the former commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

, Captain Crigg, is fed to the Frazznats at the start of the first episode. He usually has Nug and Frizz accompany him on missions, having appointed them his 'elite squad' in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

episode because they were too slow to run off with the others. It is later revealed that the two are corporals, possibly having been promoted during the first series. Blob seems to suffer from malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...

, for example he says stuff like "sensationalise" instead of "surprise".

Corporal Frizz (voiced by Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...

): An Urpney whose cowardice knows no bounds. Finds himself in a position of responsibility simply because he could not run away as fast as the others. He would much rather be at home with some sandwiches than fighting deadly Noops. He was voiced by Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...

, who played something of a similar character in the sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...

. Frizz seems to be an Urpney that appreciates the arts. A recurring device in the series is that, at the end of each episode, Frizz speaks the final lines. This occurs in every episode except the opening 'special'. In the first season he wears glasses, but these appear less frequently in the second season, and disappear completely by the third season. He dislikes Urpgor more than the other Urpneys, and on a few occasions tries to attack him (notably after meeting Urpgor's aunt).

Corporal Nug (voiced by Anthony Jackson
Anthony Jackson (actor)
Anthony Thomas Jackson was an English actor, who reached his widest audiences as founder of the eponymous ghost hiring agency in the long-running BBC children's comedy series Rentaghost. Jackson began his career with the Birmingham Repertory. He studied at Rose Bruford College and won the BBC...

): Another Urpney who, while not as cowardly as Frizz, certainly has his moments. Seems to be far cleverer than the other Urpneys, and speaks with a thick Brummie
Brummie
Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...

accent. Nug sometimes provides good ideas, which are usually adopted by Blob and passed off as his own.

Argorribles: Ghostly purple clouds that Zordrak sends out each night to deliver nightmares to the sleeping world. The power of the Dreamstone is often far too much for them and so only occasionally do they slip through. However, with the power of the Nightmare stone the Argorribles are powered up and are more likely to bypass the Dreamstone's defences. They are incorporeal, although one is briefly made solid in the episode "Horrible Argorrible".

Zarag (voiced by Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke is a well known New Zealand entertainer, singer and comedian. She is best known for her judging role on New Zealand Idol in 2005.-Television:* Judge for the second season of NZ Idol * Showcase - 1997...

): Zordrak's sister, who was shut up in a bottle for five hundred years until accidentally being released by Nug. It is suggested in Zarag that she was once romantically involved with the Dream Maker. She also wants the Dreamstone, but to wear in her hair rather than to unleash nightmares on the unsuspecting world. She also tried gaining servants through 'Obedience Drops' in Zarag Rules. Her last appearance was The Substitute where she corrupted dream bottles with Argoribbles. She appears to be more humanoid then her brother.

Frazznats: Creatures that live in the Pit of No Return and feed on Urpneys, but one time ate sweets and chocolates as seen in "The Invisible Blob". They resemble a cross between a shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

, a serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...

and a Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytrap
The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...

, with lobster-like pincers.

Urpgor's Auntie: Urpgor's Auntie (her real name is not mentioned on the show) lives on the planet Tempus Fugit
Tempus fugit
Tempus fugit is a Latin expression meaning "time flees", more commonly translated as "time flies". It is frequently used as an inscription on clocks...

, where she has placed traps for unexpected visitors should they dare to go there. She can be just as mad as her nephew, Urpgor. She shares several of Urpgor's distinguishing features (green skin, pink hair and glasses).

Urpip: Urpgor's troublesome niece, although it is unknown which brother or sister of Urpgor she is the daughter of. She is as intelligent and obnoxious as her uncle, and likes to use big words. She causes trouble, although this is a result of childish curiosity. She looks like a younger version of Urpgor, with several of his distinguishing features.

Other Urpneys: Although there are a lot of Urpneys in which rarely do anything, a few were actually given names, such as 'Lugit, Gridd, Blit, Urk, Sniff, Boff, Crusher, Fogg, & Burk!'

Episodes

The Dreamstone aired between 1990 and 1995 with a total of 52 episodes. Each episode has basically the same plot - Zordrak instructs his henchmen to steal the Dreamstone, which he plans to destroy, so that nightmares will plague the sleeping world. The plan usually involves Urpgor, his right-hand man and scientist

Scientist

A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...

inventing some means with which the Urpneys - led by Sergeant Blob, an archetypal Sergeant Major type - crosses the Mist of Limbo (a vast Purple Mist) to get to the Land of Dreams. The plan invariably fails, the main problem being the cowardice and incompetence of the Urpneys, who often want no more than to 'go home' and get some sandwiches.

At the ending of each episode apart from The Dreamstone, Into Viltheed, Zarag and The Stowaways, who were done by the Dream Maker, Zordrak and Nug. Frizz, one of the three main Urpney characters, delivers the final lines in a total of 48 Episodes.

Deleted Scenes

In the hour-long special of The Dreamstone (A combination of The Dreamstone and Into Viltheed.) or 'The Opening Special', There were three scenes that were not seen in the normal episode of 'The Dreamstone.'

One was when Rufus was told off by Mr Wacks for being late again, in which took place right after Rufus spoke to Amberley. Rufus was ordered to fill a basket with candles, he did so, but as he put the candles in, he started to daydream about being a performing clown, juggling the candles that then turned into objects and animals. Rufus was then interrupted by Amberley, in which then caused him to drop and break the candles. Amberley picked up the candles and walked away saying 'Daydreaming again!' The original soundtrack has the juggling music in, right between the musketeer and the beginning music for the Wacks Wicks Works track. You may also find when Rufus was going to cut the candles from the rack, that some broken candles were still seen on the floor from the deleted scene.

The second was after Rufus saw the whirlyped fly away with The Dreamstone and Amberley, as Rufus tried to tell The Dreammaker on what'd happened, he then asked Rufus on what was he doing in the tower? Rufus told the Dreammaker that he was showing off as he tried to impress Amberley, but after seeing that the Urpneys had taken her away and have The Dreamstone, the Dreammaker then said 'Oh this is disastrous, you've failed me Rufus." before saying the lines that was in the normal episode. In the remix Dreamdance, you could actually hear The Dreammaker saying that line that was cut off from the normal episode.

The third is when Rufus said that he will sneak The Dreamstone out of Zordrak's nose, he then said that he is small and no one will notice him, but was then interrupted by the Dreammaker who then said 'Rufus, that'll be an extremely difficult and a dangerous undertaking!" Rufus then asked please on letting him have a try, that then led up to the final lines to what The Dreammaker had to say, which is also on the normal episode.

In early repeats of the opening special, Rufus' dream sequence set to 'Better Than A Dream' was edited out, due to the limited amount of time on the TV for standard length episodes. This would also explain the edits for the later versions of The Dreamstone opening special.

The deleted scenes were included in the TV movie 'Opening Special' and is only available on video from the Video Collection in the UK, a release in Australia and possibly the only US Dreamstone video from Fisher-Price. The recently released UK DVD contains the dream sequence, but the other scenes are still deleted. In addition, the Whirlyped Launch scene has the music muted until the Whirlyped is airborne. Also, when Rufus shows Amberley the laughter box, and took out some of the laughter bubbles, other sounds of laughter can be heard from them. This goes to show that the stereo audio mix is somewhat different to the original.

Soundtrack

The show was notable for its musical score, which is practically unique among cartoons in that it was performed by a full-size professional orchestra, namely the London Philharmonic. The score, by Mike Batt

Mike Batt

Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...

, was heavily characterised by the use of leitmotif

Leitmotif

A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...

s and thematic variations

Variation (music)

In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...

, particularly on the two main songs used in the series, Better than a Dream (characterising the good characters) and War Song of the Urpneys (characterising the evil characters).

Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, Frank Bruno

Frank Bruno

Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...

, and Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly

William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

provided lead vocals on The War Song of the Urpneys single and album track, although the version heard in the series was largely sung by composer Mike Batt. Other artists who sang for The Dreamstone soundtrack included Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...

, who recorded a duet with Mike entitled Into The Sunset. This song was supposed to be used as the show's official love song (especially towards Rufus and Amberley) but it was never used. Plus Joe Brown

Joe Brown (singer)

Joe Brown, MBE is an English entertainer.He has worked as a rock and roll singer and guitarist for more than five decades. He was a stage and television performer in the late 1950s and a UK recording star in the early 1960s...

performed The Vile Brothers Mountain Band, which was used on the show, during the episode Albert Is Fishnapped. Gary Glitter

Gary Glitter

Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...

was also involved with the recording.

The TV version of Better Than A Dream contained some different lyrics to the version included on the soundtrack

Soundtrack

A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...

. The TV version mostily reflected Rufus' personality, with the lyrics 'I always dream myself to somewhere else each night' and 'I know I dream much more than other people do'. The soundtrack version contained 'I used to dream myself to someone else each night' and 'Until I chanced upon this road that led to you', among a few other changes that were made to the song. Mike Batt also re-recorded the chorus, used in the ending credits from the latter part of Series 1 onwards till Series 4 in which was then shortened.

The soundtrack has just recentily been re-released as part of the Mike Batt Music Cube released in December 2009 by Dramatico Records. However instead of the TV soundtrack, the CD features 5 newily recorded orchestrial overtures, as well as Better Than A Dream, The War Song of the Urpneys and Into the Sunset and a shorter version of The Dreamdance which also omits the vocal clips from the show. The Vile Brothers Mountain Band was also omitted from the soundtrack, probably very likely to do with recent events involving Gary Glitter's personal life.

TV soundtrack album listing (original release):

Better Than A Dream - Mike Batt (3:04)
The War Song Of The Urpneys - Billy Connolly, Ozzy Osbourne and Frank Bruno (4:44)
Dreamdance (Theme From The Dreamstone) (10:07)
Into The Sunset - Mike Batt and Bonnie Tyler (3:28)
The Vile Bros Mountain Band - Gary Glitter & Joe Brown (4:19)
The Dreamstone (Main Title) (2:10)
Wack's Wicks Works (2:15)
The Dream Maker (6:11)
Whirlyped Launch (5:21)
The Dreamstone Is Stolen (6:20)
The Argorribles And The Egg Of Death (6:48)
Rufus Succeeds (5:20)

Home media releases and worldwide airings

In the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

there were a few video releases from the Video Collection (VCI International, now known as 2 Entertain

2 Entertain

2 Entertain is a British video and music publisher, formed by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004....

) covering all of series one (including the unedited opening special) bar the episode Megattack; plus several releases of most (but not all of) Series 1 from Tring International. Also in the UK BMG Video only released one video featuring 4 episodes of series 2.

The first two episodes were originally combined to form the Opening Special which contained extra footage that was edited out from the 22 minute TV broadcast versions of the Opening Special. The first six episodes of this season have been released on DVD in the UK by Abbey Home Media. At the present time there are no plans to release more episodes on DVD, due to poor promotion and distribution of Filmfair's catalog by Abbey.

The videos can still be found on sites like Amazon and eBay's UK sites from time to time, as well as the DVD releases. The DVD's can also be obtained through Abbey Home Media's shop site.

There were 6 videos from released by an Australian company called Reel Entertainment featuring the first 12 episodes of series 3 released only in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. There was also another video release, presumably of the first 3 episodes of Series 1. In Australia (where the show aired on ABC TV

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

) the episode title "Wottles" was actually spelled "Woitles".

In the USA, Fisher Price released a single video of The Dreamstone. It's likely it only contained the opening pilot special.

The show was aired in the commonwealth countries of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

(on Showcase) and Australia

Australia

(on ABC), it was also aired in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

(on RTL II, KIKA (Kinderkanal)), Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

(on Orf 1) as 'Der Traumstein' , and as 'Pedra Dos Sonhos' in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

and Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. It also aired in most of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

such as Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

and Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, but only series 1 and 2 were aired there.

At the start of 2010, series 1 and 2 had been available for free viewing on Cookie Jar Entertainment

Cookie Jar Entertainment

The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...

's 'Jaroo' online service via a scheduled service. The service will rotate itself within the majority of a few months, allowing people to view up to five episodes at a time, until all the episodes have been shown and the process will start over. Currentily series 3 and 4 have not been shown on Jaroo, this is due to ownership of these series by the company Dreamstone Productions Ltd. At present, there has been no discussions between the two companies in regards to the rights of the remaining two series. It's unknown at this point if there will be, but fans are hopeful that an agreement could be reached in the future.

Airing History

- CITV
  CITV
  CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
  
  (1990–1995)
- The Children's Channel
  The Children's Channel
  The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a television station in the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia, which was owned by Flextech . It began broadcasting on 1 September 1984, and was closed on 3 April 1998...
  
  (1993)

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

Canada

- Showcase (1990–1995)

Australia

- ABC TV
  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
  
  (1990–1995)

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

Austria

- ORF 1 (1990–1995)

Germany

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

- ORF 1 (1991–2000)

Spain

Portugal

Brazil

- Rede Record
  Rede Record
  Rede Record de Televisão is a Brazilian television network, founded in 1953 by Paulo Machado de Carvalho, also founder of Rádio Record. Currently it is owned by businessman Edir Macedo, founder and bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Since 2007 it is Brazil's second largest...
- TV Cultura
  TV Cultura
  TV Cultura is Brazilian television network headquartered in São Paulo and a part of Fundação Padre Anchieta. It focuses on cultural subjects but also has sports as entertainment options.- History :...

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

Argentina

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

Suriname

Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

- RÚV
  RÚV
  Ríkisútvarpið is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization.Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the country, the service broadcasts a variety of general programming to a wide audience across the whole country via radio...
  
  Sweden
  Sweden
  Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- TV1000
  TV1000
  TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel.-History:...

Production

Although the show is made in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

, the cartoon itself was drawn in the Philippines

Philippines

. Like with American produced cartoons, Martin Gates Productions used foreign studios for the overall animation work. Fil-Cartoons, a frequent overseas contractor for Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...

, was utilized for series 1, while Moving Images International animated for series 2-4. (MII also animated most of Martin Gates' other productions throughout the 1990s, as well as other FilmFair productions such as Brown Bear's Wedding, White Bear's Secret, and series 1 of The Legends of Treasure Island
The Legends of Treasure Island
The Legends Of Treasure Island is an animated cartoon from the UK that ran from 1993-1995. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes....

.)

In 1985, Mike Jupp did produce a pilot for the series entitled The Dream Thief. It was animated by the studio Mill Valley Animation in Novato in the US state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

when Mike was working in America. In this short pilot there was a few alterations to the TV series, most of which came from Jupp's original manuscript for the idea. T

External links

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